Blog Tour with Review: Behind the Bars by Brittainy C. Cherry

Behind the Bars, the first beautiful and emotional standalone in the all-new Music Street Series from Brittainy C. Cherry is available NOW!

When I first met Jasmine Greene, she came in as raindrops.

I was the awkward musician, and she was the high school queen.

The only things we had in common were our music and our loneliness.

Something in her eyes told me her smile wasn’t always the truth.

Something in her voice gave me a hope I always wished to find.

And in a flash, she was gone.

Years later, she was standing in front of me on a street in New Orleans.

She was different, but so was I. Life made us colder. Harder. Isolated.

Caged.

Even though we were different, the broken pieces of me recognized the sadness in her.

Now she was back, and I wouldn’t make the mistake of letting her go again.

When I first met Jasmine Greene, she came in as raindrops.

When we met again, she was the darkest storm.

My Review

“You don’t see music, you feel it. Music doesn’t see color. Music transcends all stereotypes.”

“Jazz is….um, jazz is the reminder that when I’m alone, I’m not really alone.” “That’s what soul is to me.” “It’s my best friend when everything else in the world is just an acquaintance.”

“Life happens. Sometimes you just have to go with the waves.”

“You’re the music in a mute world, and my heart beats because you’re here.”

There are books you read and then there are books you live. You breathe them. You consume them. Devour them. Lose sleep over them. Completely and totally relate to them. They change your world and they blow your mind. That is what this book is. It is pure magic. It is everything and more. It is unexpected and beautiful. It touches every part of your heart and awakens your soul. This is a story that must be lived; that must be experienced.

It’s only fitting that I would kick off December by reading a book by one of my go to authors and let me tell you, this book is powerful. The messages throughout are strong and the story-line is life changing. This story is not an easy one. It is going to pull at your heart. It is going to put tears in your eyes. Your heart will ache as you experience this story along with the characters, but I promise you, I promise you, the journey is so incredibly worth it.

Behind The Bars isn’t just a love story, it is so much more. It is a story of hope and the strength of love. It is a story of grief and heartache. It is a story of strength and never giving up. It is story of finding yourself again after the darkness takes over. And finally, it is an incredible love story that will make your heart flutter and hope for happily ever afters. The characters in this story experience things that no one should ever have to. They are broken, but not defeated. They are filled with so much hope and have so much to give. They have so much to overcome and they are flawed in the best of ways. You can’t help but ache and root for Elliott and Jasmine…

Behind The Bars is such powerful and moving read. The writing is just phenomenal. This writer doesn’t just make you feel her books. She makes you live them, experience them and breathe them. She makes you connect with the stories and characters in ways that you never thought were possible. And I have to tell you, this book was written with so much heart and soul. I just loved each and every swoon worthy, heart fluttering, heartbreaking, painful, and devastating moment. And in the end, I was left with the happiest of tears and the fullest of hearts. Behind The Bars has left my emotions a mess in the best possible way. It gave me all the feels and I couldn’t possibly ask for more. This story is one that will touch everyone’s life and will take you on the most amazing journey.

*I was provided an ARC copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review*

Excerpt:

By the way, what happened to Todd’s nose?” I asked.

“I broke it,” Elliott said matter-of-factly.

“What? How? Why?”

He shrugged before turning to look out the window. “He called you a bad name.”

“What was it?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Eli,” I started.

He turned my way and locked his hazel eyes with my browns. “Jazz…” He shook his head. “It wasn’t true.”

I swallowed hard, a big part of me certain Todd’s words held some form of truth.

Elliott saw it in me—my fear. He kept shaking his head and whispered, “I don’t feel sorry for you. Sometimes you look at me like you think I feel sorry for you, and I want you to know I don’t. I think you’re perfect the way you are.”

I quietly laughed at him repeating the words I’d told him earlier. A few tears rolled down my cheeks. “I’m a little messed up.”

“I know.” He nodded. “That’s why I like you.”

He went back to staring out the window, and I kept staring at him.

And there it was.

So small, so tiny, so real.

Love.

It wasn’t love, but it was the beginning of it.

I knew I was young, and I knew it was stupid, but in that moment, I began to fall in love with the quiet boy who quietly cared for me. The boy who was scared and still strong. The boy who stood up for me when he was surrounded by reasons not to do such a thing. I hadn’t known much about love. I hadn’t known how it looked, felt, or tasted. I hadn’t known how it moved, how it flowed, but I knew my heart was tight and currently skipping a few beats. I understood the goose bumps covering my arms. I knew this stuttering boy who was sometimes so scared was someone worth loving. He was worth being the first one I gave my heart to.

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